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…but public expectations do not always mesh with scientific, economic, & regulatory realities. National Academy of Sciences: Reality Check – Report on Chesapeake Bay TMDL – Public concern ≠ public willingness to pay the price – Disconnect between achievement of a standard & appreciable water quality improvement – Substantial public commitment and “some level of sacrifice from all who live and work in the watershed” Complexity of Regulating Nutrients 6David Childs Hopping Green & Sams

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What tools are available to help cities restore water bodies and comply with nutrient load reduction requirements (i.e. TMDLs) in a cost effective manner? 7David Childs Hopping Green & Sams

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Water Quality Credit Trading TMDL Program (safety net) – Restoration program – Point and non-point sources allocated pollutant loads Water Quality Credit Trading – Pollutant reductions are environmentally valued in the form of “credits,” which can then be traded on a local “market” to promote cost-effective water quality improvements. – Goal: better water quality protection for less $$. 8David Childs Hopping Green & Sams

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Water Quality Credit Trading Practical & Program Limitations – Trading will not work everywhere – Need willing buyer and willing seller – Seller must meet its allocation & can only sell its surplus reductions – Transaction must include a surface water discharge permit holder – No credit for land use changes that don’t result in loadings equal to or less than natural conditions – Ongoing nutrient criteria litigation = chilling effect 12David Childs Hopping Green & Sams